Maple Avenue Middle School students signed anti-bullying contracts last week as part of Say No to Bullying Month activities. (ERICA MILLER photos/emiller@saratogian.com)

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Maple Avenue Middle School students are learning positive ways to handle bullies, thanks to a national program called Positive Behavior Intervention and Support. Last week, the kids celebrated October's Say No to Bullying Month with a week of PBIS-sponsored activities.

"On Tuesday, we had a poster contest, and on Wednesday, we all wore black for Black Out Bullying Day," said Tom Coons, a sixth-grade computer literacy teacher and the coach for Maple Avenue's PBIS committee.

Overseen by the Red Springs House assistant principal, Jennifer Drautz, PBIS is a pilot program for the district. The committee's purpose is to set up behavioral interventions to enhance students' academic and social behavior. Positive reinforcement is emphasized over any type of punishment.

"The program works well at all grade levels, but at Maple it brings together our sixth-graders from their six different elementary schools," Drautz said. "PBIS cultivates leadership, connection and engagement in a positive atmosphere. It's an entire culture change for the school."

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The emphasis is on accentuating the positive.

"The team has studied binders and binders of training materials and coursework," Coons said. "It's a great program. Instead of being written up with referrals for wrongdoing, kids are rewarded for positive behavior."

Coons and the team spent the last school year training and preparing for PBIS's launch. The committee laid the groundwork, identifying key student behaviors and teachable moments. Say No to Bullying Month gave the committee the opportunity to reach out to students.

Last Thursday's awareness videos taught the students more about bullying. Subtle forms of harassment as well as cyberbullying were explored. The videos made an impression on the students, who said they learned a lot.

"The videos were very helpful. I think I learned more than before," sixth-grader Kate Barthelmas said.

Fellow student Erika Bonser said the videos had shown things she hadn't known about cyberbulling and name-calling.

On Friday, the students signed contracts to be hung in their lockers, saying they would not bully others or stand by while harassment occurred.

Larger contracts lined the cafeteria wall, and at lunch, kids signed and decorated those. The school also sold bright blue anti-bullying ribbons throughout the week. As PBIS drew in community support, A.C. Moore donated the ribbons and pins, and Staples donated the contracts.

"It's good that the school is supporting anti-bullying," sixth-grader Gary Blanchard said. "So many people get hurt. If everyone stands up against bullying, maybe it will stop."